Only days
after the death of Osama bin Laden, Kuma Games has announced that it is giving
PC gamers the chance to pull the trigger that
killed the world's most wanted terrorist again and again.

Osama bin
Laden was the founder of the al-Qaeda organization, which launched several
mass-casualty attacks against military and civilian targets including the
September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001. On May 1, 2011 (May 2
according to Pakistan Standard Time), U.S. President Barack Obama announced
that bin Laden had been
killed by a team of 20-25 U.S. Navy SEALS from the Naval
Special Warfare Development Group.

Now,
computer game developer Kuma Games is
releasing a PC title called "Kuma\War Episode #107: The Death of Osama bin
Laden," which allows users to experience the pursuit and the killing of
bin Laden firsthand through a virtual shooting game.

As you
might expect, the firsthand shooter in the game is a U.S. Navy SEAL who travels
to Abbottabad, Pakistan to break into bin Laden's mansion. Users must first
kill the guards before coming face-to-face with bin Laden himself in the
historical battle that took place just days ago.

This
isn't Kuma's first reality computer game. In 2005, Kuma released a game that
allows users to kill Saddam Hussein. In addition, previous "Kuma War"
titles have featured battles in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Kuma may
get some adverse reactions to the bin Laden title, though. Other games, such as
"Medal of Honor," initially received criticism due to its themes
associated with Taliban fighters. Also, "Call of Duty: Black Ops" was
criticized because of its option to assassinate Fidel Castro.

In
response to those who have criticized video games that depict real events, Kuma
has said that the games are not made to mock these world events or demean what
the military has worked hard to accomplish everyday.

"At
Kuma, we are sensitive and respectful of American and coalition soldiers and
the sacrifices they are making every day," said Keith Halper, Kuma CEO.
"We hope that by telling their stories with such a powerful medium that we
enable the American public to gain a better appreciation of the conflicts and
the dangers they face."

"Kuma\War
Episode #107: The Death of Osama bin Laden" will be released this
Saturday.

Personally,
I don't see the harm in pulling the virtual trigger at the virtual bin Laden.
Some reports question whether the U.S. military did the right thing by killing
bin Laden when he was allegedly unarmed,
but I'm unquestionably for the U.S. victory that the military has worked to
achieve for years now. Would I go out of my way to play Kuma's bin Laden
killing spree game? Possibly, but only out of curiosity. I'm not against its
release, but I don't need to play it in order to understand or
feel apart of what happened.

What do
you think? Is the game a way of capitalizing on the event, or are critics too
sensitive?

"Mac OS X is like living in a farmhouse in the country with no locks, and Windows is living in a house with bars on the windows in the bad part of town." -- Charlie Miller